Cornerstone Prefects

Freya M and Tegan B, new Prefects for 2026/27, describe below what it was like to apply to become Prefects!

--

At The Cornerstone Academy, students are given the opportunity to apply for the role of a Prefect, preparing us for the step up to adult life, and making that transition to college and sixth form a little less intense. The applications opened in Spring, and we were set a task to write a letter explaining what qualities and expertise we would bring to the role, and some ideas we had regarding the future work of a prefect. Throughout this process, it was narrowed down to who was successful for the second stage – an interview. We think we speak for all the prefect team when we say that there was an extremely tense atmosphere in the lead up to these interviews, for some of us it was our first encounter with a situation where we have to sit in Mrs Hornby’s office and talk for 10 minutes about how amazing we are (!), but everyone handled it so well.  

After the interview process, teachers had to compress the number of applicants even more, before handing us the trusty white envelope which determined how our lunchtimes would be spent for the last year at this school – walking around with bright orange hi-vis jackets, or not? There was definitely a buzz in the air when we were given these letters, and a lot of exchanging of ‘congratulations’ when we found out who had been elected.  

Since becoming a prefect and being given the ties to embrace our roles at the annual Pride of Cornerstone Awards Ceremony, we have truly made use of the role. As a team we discussed and successfully planned House Competitions for the ‘June House Mania’ competition, such as ‘Beat the Teacher’ - a play on the famous ‘Beat the Chasers’ with the Prefect team sharing out the role of presenting (much better than Bradley Walsh) and teachers naming themselves with dramatic names. It’s safe to say that this competition was a great success, with an abundance of House Points and Haribos being handed out!  

Aside from House Competitions, the Prefect team have shown great determination regarding their role, and we can’t wait to see where Year 11 takes us with brand new lunchtime rotas and setting a great example for the younger years. We are both so grateful for the leadership opportunities that Cornerstone provides for us and are extremely excited to work with the other prefects in our new roles.